Ferries suspended as Parramatta River floods

Ferries suspended as Parramatta River floods

Heavy rainfall has caused the Parramatta River to burst its banks, with buses replacing ferry services between Parramatta and Rydalmere.
Pictures: Natalie Roberts

Heavy rainfall has caused the Parramatta River to burst its banks, with buses replacing ferry services between Parramatta and Rydalmere.

Sun photographer Natalie Roberts said she snapped photos of the burst banks near the Lennox Street bridge about 12pm today.

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said there was no estimated time for the restoration of ferry services, with buses replacing ferries until further notice.

Replacement buses are leaving from the corner of Charles and Phillip streets, Parramatta.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 76.8mm of rainfall between August 12-18 at a weather station at Maisons Drive at Parramatta North, and 80.5mm over the same period at Pennant Hills Road, North Parramatta.

A staff member from the weather bureau's hydrology department said an automatic water gauge that measures the river's water levels near Marsden Street fluctuated between .5m and .6m yesterday, on August 17, but had peaked at 1.3m earlier today and was currently at 1.19m.

"We expect 20-30mm of rainfall there in the next 12 hours," the weather bureau staff member said.

A Parramatta council spokesman confirmed there was small amount of "mild flooding" at the river at a weir near the ferry terminal.

"The Parramatta River does undergo isolated flooding when we get very big rain events, but we've done a lot of flood mitigation works in previous years to reduce the risk," the spokesman said.

"The fact that it's only had small, isolated flooding incidents is an indication that those works are succeeding in protecting thew area from more widespread flooding."